TENDERIZED DEEP FRIED “LIEMPO”

TENDERIZED DEEP FRIED “LIEMPO”
(Parboiled Pork Belly Deep Fried To Crunchy Outside-Juicy Inside Bite)
As mentioned in my other post re “Liempo”,
pork belly is one of the most modifiable parts of pig meat.
Be it roasted, grilled, fried, BBQed, be processed into bacon strips, “sinigang” (tamarind soup base with veggies), “nilaga” (plain boiled and dumped with vegetables different from “sinigang”) and countless more divergence.
For now, we’ll dive into something simple.
Seasoned, tenderized in spices-filled boiling solution then
deep fried to “crispiest skin to juiciest meat bite”.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
Serves: 4
Cooking media: suitable parboiling casserole, big frying pan with cover OR suitable deep fryer.

INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo fully cleaned, de-haired, nicely sliced “liempo”
enough tap water to cover meat
80 grams fine salt
15 grams ground black pepper
OPTIONAL 10 grams MSG
20 pieces crushed fresh garlic cloves
3 pieces small onion (white or red), sliced
a small bunch of “tanglad” (lemon grass)
500 ml palm olein (if available) or soya/palm oil if not

PROCEDURES:

1. Pour water and all other ingredients in casserole. Whisk a bit to dissolve granules faster.
2. Add in “liempo slices” and, under medium heat, boil for 1 hour or until meat exhibits full tenderness when forked.
3. Scoop out. Pat dry skin. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in pan or deep fryer. When smoke is emitted, slice tiny bit of meat and throw unto hot oil and if small spinning bubbles from thrown meat going up are seen-then heat more. But if throwing the tiny piece of meat into hot oil produces BUBBLES…rumbling BUBBLES, then oil is ready.
5. WITHOUT BRUSHING ANYTHING UNTO SKIN, deep fry the meat to desired done-ness and/or crunchy condition of skin.
6. NO NEED TO SPRINKLE WATER UNTO HOT OIL to supposedly make the skin crispy. THIS IS A MYTH. Doing this will just make the oil VERY ANGRY THAT SPLATTERS occur.
7. You’re DONE.
8. Slice and garnish as desired. Serve with gar-vin-soy dip (garlic-vinegar-soy sauce mixture)

For more of “LIEMPO” preps, click here.

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.